Hayley Whiting is powering up for Commonwealth Games selection. Photo suppliedHayley Whiting is well and truly punching above her weight.

The 24-year-old former Ashburton College student impressed in her first international weightlifting competition, held in Melbourne last weekend.

Competing in the under-75kg category, Whiting lifted 81kg in the snatch and 93kg in the clean and jerk, for a total of 174kg.

Whiting, who only took up the sport 18 months ago, described competing for New Zealand in the Australian International Weightlifting Competition as “a big step up” in her career.

“I’ve got a lot to work on but I really enjoyed myself,” she said.

“It was really exciting just being part of the New Zealand team and also to see athletes at the top of their game performing during the competition.”

A natural athlete, Whiting left her mark on a number of sporting codes during her time at Ashburton College, excelling on the track and the court.

“I used to play netball and do athletics but when I went to university I couldn’t really do that any more, so I picked up Crossfit – and through that I found my interest in weightlifting.”

Whiting studied physiotherapy in Dunedin, graduating in 2014.

She has since worked in Christchurch in a profession she says benefits her weightlifting aspirations.

“I can patch myself back together,” she said.

“But weightlifting is not as dangerous as it might appear, there’s a lot of technique involved – if you didn’t have that right it might be risky.

“I think you’d find injury rates in rugby or even netball would be higher that weighlifting.”

Whiting currently trains at a weightlifting gym in Christchurch under the direction of more experienced lifters, who are also part of the New Zealand team.

From here her focus will be on a competition in the North Island in June, as one in a series in the build-up to Commonwealth Games selection.

“There’s two other females in my weight class who currently rank above me, one who went to the last Commonwealths.

“It will be a lot of hard work, but I may as well give it a shot.”

By Michelle Nelson © The Ashburton Guardian - 23 March 2017